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1987 Detroit Grand Prix
21 June | number = 441 | officialname = Detroit Grand Prix VI | circuit = Detroit Street Circuit | location = Detroit, Michigan | circuittype = Temporary street circuit | lapdistance = 4.023 | laps = 63 | distance = 253.449 | pole = Nigel Mansell | polenation = GBR | poleteam = | poletime = 1:39.264 | fastestlap = 1:40.464 | fastestlapdriver = Ayrton Senna | fastestlapnation = BRA-1968 | fastestlapteam = | fastestlapnumber = 39 | winner = Ayrton Senna | winnernation = BRA-1968 | winnerteam = | second = Nelson Piquet | secondnation = BRA-1968 | secondteam = | third = Alain Prost | thirdnation = FRA | thirdteam = }} The 1987 Detroit Grand Prix, otherwise known officially as the Detroit Grand Prix VI, was the fifth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged on the 21 June 1987 at the Detroit Street Circuit.'United States GP, 1987', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr441.html, (Accessed 02/04/2019) The race would see Ayrton Senna claim victory and the Championship lead for , as former leader Alain Prost finished third. Nigel Mansell would claim pole position during qualifying, beating Senna with his as teammate Nelson Piquet claimed third. Thierry Boutsen was best of the rest in fourth for , with Championship leader Prost claiming fifth for . Mansell would take the lead at the start of the race, leaving Senna to squabble for second with Piquet. The rest of the field piled in behind them, resulting in Stefan Johansson breaking his front wing on the back Derek Warwick, while Satoru Nakajima smacked into Ivan Capelli and Adrián Campos. Senna quickly managed to escape Piquet's attentions, and duly tried to chase Mansell as the Brit broke away at the head of the field. Piquet, meanwhile, would fight hard to keep Eddie Cheever at bay, only to give himself a puncture when the two clashed wheels on lap seven. Cheever's hopes were to come to an end shortly after, with a lunge from Teo Fabi leaving both the American and the Italian in the pits for repairs. Michele Alboreto therefore shuffled into third ahead of Boutsen and Prost, although Boutsen soon dropped back with a brake issue. Once Alboreto dropped out with a gearbox failure the order would remain stable until the stops, where Mansell lost a bundle of time due to a sticking wheel nut. That allowed Senna to sneak through into the lead, while Piquet managed to catch up to the back of Prost. Prost subsequently fell to Piquet in the closing stages, while Mansell's pace deteriorated late on as his legs began cramping. The Brit duly tumbled back behind Piquet, Prost and Gerhard Berger, as Senna swept across the line to claim victory. That victory left Senna in the lead of the Championship, opening out a two point lead over former leader Prost. McLaren-TAG Porsche, meanwhile, would retain the lead in the Constructors' Championship, five ahead of Williams-Honda, while Lotus-Honda retained third. Background Alain Prost had retained the lead in the Championship in Monaco, although Ayrton Senna's maiden triumph in the Principality had seen the Brazilian close to within three points of the Frenchman. Stefan Johansson, meanwhile, had slipped to third ahead of Nelson Piquet, while Nigel Mansell had tumbled to fifth, eight off the lead. Elsewhere, Jonathan Palmer and Ivan Capelli had added their names to board, meaning fifteen drivers had scored across the opening four races. In the Constructors' Championship it had been a similar story in Monte Carlo, with retaining their lead despite failing to score. Instead, and had closed the gap to the leaders, ending the Monaco weekend nine and thirteen off the lead respectively. , meanwhile, had made significant ground in fourth after doubling their tally for the season, while completed the top five. Philippe Streiff had continued to hold the lead in the Jim Clark Trophy after the Monaco Grand Prix, although his teammate Jonathan Palmer was just three points behind. Behind, Pascal Fabre had made ground in third ahead of Philippe Alliot, while arrived in the US with the lead in the Colin Chapman Trophy. Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: * Entries with a white background denote eligibility for the Jim Clark Trophy and Colin Chapman Trophy. Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: * A white background indicates an entrant in the Jim Clark Trophy with numbers in brackets indicating their finishing position in that class. *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Ghinzani was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * Eddie Cheever entered his 100th Grand Prix.'1987 Detroit GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1987&gp=Detroit%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 02/04/2019) * Sixth career victory for Ayrton Senna.'5. USA 1987', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1987/etats-unis.aspx, (Accessed 02/04/2019) ** Senna also recorded his twentieth podium finish. * secured their 79th victory as a constructor. ** claimed their nineteenth win as an engine supplier. * Senna recorded the twentieth fastest lap for a Honda engine. Standings Victory in Detroit ensured that Ayrton Senna left the US in the lead of the Championship, albeit with a slim, two point lead. Alain Prost, former leader, would drop to second as he looked for a third straight crown, while Nelson Piquet climbed above Stefan Johansson for third. Behind, Nigel Mansell retained fifth ahead of Gerhard Berger, with no new names added to the scorers' list. In the Constructors' Championship it had been a relatively neutral day, although the gaps at the top of the title hunt had come down. Indeed, while had retained their lead, their advantage over had been reduced to five points, while had closed to within seven of the Anglo-German alliance. Behind, were an increasingly distant but solid fourth, while moved level with in fifth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. Jim Clark/Colin Chapman Trophy Jonathan Palmer returned to the top of the Jim Clark Trophy in Detroit, opening out a five point gap to Pascal Fabre. The Frenchman himself had overhauled Palmer's teammate Philippe Streiff in Detroit, leaving a point clear of his compatriot, before a six point gap back to Philippe Alliot. , meanwhile, continued to dominate the Colin Chapman Trophy, largely due to the fact that they were the only effort fielding two cars. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1987 Grands Prix Category:Detroit Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in the United States